Bunn native Tarik Cohen could be called up to the Carolina Panthers 53-man roster any time now. If and when he does it’ll be the culmination of three years of pain and struggle.
Cohen appeared on the brand new 'Panthers Playbook' podcast where he spoke about his come back to football. in 2020, he tore his ACL while playing with the Chicago Bears.
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"I feel like nothing really kept me going," Cohen said. "I really stopped everything. I stopped playing football."
"I had retired. Basically in my mind, I had retired."
Along with that, two of his brothers died just months apart. Then Cohen tore his Achilles while working out on Instagram Live.
"I feel like the pain and the grievance, I just let it run its course on me," Cohen said. "When I started seeing light at the end of the tunnel, started feeling good body-wise, mentally and emotionally, I felt like I could get back out there and whip myself into shape and help a team out."
Earlier in September, the Carolina Panthers announced that they were signing Cohen to their practice squad. Cohen says he's getting close to being back in game shape, after a three year absence from football.
"I'm feeling really confident in where I'm at," Cohen said. "Just ready to get back out there and get under those lights."
To hear more from our exclusive interview with Cohen, check out the latest 'Panthers Playbook' Podcast episode below.